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I’ve used weak bleach on my lovely white china mugs for about four years. The glaze on the insides of the mugs is worn away. Definitely never used any kind of scouring pad/cloth/salt or bicarbonate. Now going to try toothpaste on my new mugs.

Hot cocoa does the trick! When my tea mug needs cleaning, I make a cup of hot cocoa with two packets of cocoa powder, enjoy it, and when I wipe it out, the tea stains are already gone or significantly softened and easy to remove!

I would guess it is either the acidity of the cocoa, the grittiness, or both that facilitate cleaning. The best part of this method is that you get hot cocoa AND a clean mug.

I would like to add my support to the toothpaste solution. I had previously tried vinegar and baking soda, but did not get the results I wanted. After searching, I came upon this thread. I just used what I had handy, which was Aquafresh whitening, but it didn’t seem to matter. Toothpaste really works!

Dave your techniques are epic. Every one has a great idea… Toothpaste is baking soda..JUST SAYING…use baking soda and vinegar, equal parts 1/3 cup each. Place the cup in a plastic container with a lid large enough for the cup to be able to move around. Add baking soda to the bottom of the container and venegar in the cup and close it. Make sure it’s on tight. Then shake. And blame… It blows up. So don’t do that.. baking soda works great. So does cleaning you mugs every time you use them. Stop leaving coffee or tea in your cups for a day….. But if it does happen. Baking soda or like the man above said. Magic erasers are the best product with no chemicals . Peace love and coffee stains lol!!!

I have used bleach, dental tabs, vinegar and baking soda, various scrubbers and always followed with soap and water. All have worked to clean my tea cups. My problem is that the following stains are darker and more difficult to clean. It appears that the inner finish of the cups has been damaged. I have several cups that are fine bone china and nothing I’ve tried works to remove all staining. Please help!

I have always used bleach to clean my stained tea cups. It doesn’t take much and the cup looks like new. Make sure you always rinse well afterward. It also works on tea pots, finish with hot soapy water and rinse well. I use a strainer in my tea pot for loose tea, a little bleach and hot water makes it look like new as well. I am going to try toothpaste on some of my older tea cups. Thanks for all the tips.

Don’t use a scouring pad as the above advice says. Scouring pads finely scratch the enamel and make it more likely that your cups and mugs will stain again and a lot quicker than last time. A soft cloth should do or better still, one of the old fashioned mops. If you use a mop, don’t get all hamfisted or you might break the handle off the cup/mug. To be honest, and I don’t recommend it, I use a mop with a short handle (I cut the handle to length) and I use it set on slow speed in a battery powered drill. You won’t do that of course. 🙂

Put two spoonfuls of washing powder into the cup, top it up with boiling water, leave it to stand for 20 minutes, then wash the cup under running water; no scrubbing at all. I’ve used this on cups, sinks, and tea pots, and it works every time.

Pour bleach (Javex, Old Dutch, etc.) into the stained cup. Swirl it around til the stain disappears. Pour bleach into a clean jar and cap it tightly. It can be used quite a few times, kept handy beside dish-washing soap. Wash the bleached cup well with hot soapy water, then rinse well. A little effort is required.

I believe the reason toothpaste works is because it contains diatomaceous earth, a very mild abrasive. This stuff is actually tiny fossilized remains of hard-shelled algae. The shells are comprised mainly of silica or glass. So it’s similar to using Turtle Wax rubbing or polishing compound, but much safer of course.

I make tea every day and the glasses became dark from tea stains. I searched for a way to clean the stains away, otherwise I was ready to toss the glasses out. I liked the post above from Octopus. However, I dampened a paper towel (used a couple to make it like a thick rag), then poured salt onto the paper towel and scrubbed the glasses. Then, rinseed off the salt. Worked like a charm! The glasses are clean, clear and bright again – I’ll be keeping the glasses.

Crest pro-health worked like a charm for me. I had a white china cup that has been stained for quite a while and whenever cleaned, it would take lots of scrubbing. I used the toothpaste mentioned before and it was so easy!

I use soda crystals. Average price is 68p for a kilo. I use a dessert spoon per mug, fill with hot water and leave to stand for a couple of hours. Rinse afterwards. Leaves no smell and perfect stain removal.

I had once read that using plain white Colgate toothpaste would clean my white porcelain crock pot. Worked like charm. Tried it today on coffee stained coffee cups. Worked great. Non-abrasive like salt. Non-toxic like bleach. Also does not leave the taste of salt or vinegar in the cup.

Salt! Just sprinkle in salt and use a wet paper towel. I had a cup that went through the dishwasher and was hand scrubbed several times to no avail, but sprinkling in some salt and it was as shiny as new. This page suggests various ingredients, including baking soda and vinegar (which react to produce water + a type of salt), and also salt. Just — use — salt! Simple!